A study published in the March, 2010 edition of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine suggests that children who spend more time engaged with electronic communication and entertainment mediums such as cellphones, televisions and computers, form lower quality relationships with their families and peers. Conversely, teens who spend more time reading and doing homework reported a higher level of attachment to parents. Overall, the more screen time teens get, the more difficulty they had in forming relationships or emotional bonds with others. The authors theorize that spending more time interacting with screen-based activities prevent teens from interacting with those around them. “However, it is also possible that adolescents with poor attachment relationships with immediate friends and family use screen-based activities to facilitate new attachment figures such as online friendships or parasocial relationships with television characters or personalities,” the authors write. Can modern technology really impact social development, psychological and physical well-being? Certainly. But, could there be positive benefits of screen time as well? [via PHYSORG]
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Dr. Steven Chang, the author of DailyDose, is a staff physician with Kosmix RightHealth. Dr. Chang practices Family Medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where his medical interests include both pediatric and geriatric care, public health, gay and lesbian health, and sleep medicine. Dr. Chang trained at the Stanford University affiliated O'Connor Hospital, and was a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He holds an M.D. from McGill University and a BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.